Catalysts comprising perfluorinated microcomposites are useful in a variety of catalytic reactions. As a result of their use in some of these reactions or during storage, contaminants may form upon or within the catalyst causing the catalyst to lose some or all of its activity. In some cases the used catalyst can be recycled by simply treating the used catalyst with an acid, such as nitric acid, followed by washing with water to remove any excess acid. (See WO 95/19222). However, following some catalytic reactions, this method is not sufficient to restore the activity of the catalyst to a useful level. Thus, there is a need to provide a means for reactivating or increasing the activity of a used perfluorinated ion exchange microcomposite catalyst.